Novelist and journalist Dave Hill

October 05, 2006

Discovering TV: Mrs Pritchard

Today's Big Achievement was watching another TV programme: episode one of The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, starring Jane Horrocks as a supermarket manager who becomes prime minister by mistake. I recorded it last night, watched all but the last five minutes this afternoon and finally found time to fit the end in this evening after the kids had gone to sleep and before the Ten O'Clock News began. More work required on my time-management technique, I feel.

I'm well-disposed towards Horrocks thanks to Little Voice and for her providing the lead voice of Fifi And The Flowertots, a favourite of fifth and sixthborn. She's as convincing in this drama by Sally Wainwright as anyone could be, given its absolute implausibility. Not that it's aiming for authenticity. It's a "what if" story designed to speak to a public mood of cynicism about mainstream politicians, rather as House Of Cards did in the early Nineties, albeit in the opposite way.

The latter fantasy was the dark one that Westminster Village life was even more ruthless and amoral than the electorate believed it to be. Mrs Pritchard, by contrast, nourishes the reverie that an ordinary person with a bit of common sense would Get Things Done much better than all those jaded, squabbling careerists from the established parties - especially if that person were female.

I'm not convinced it's going to come off. The human interest narrative and the populist social commentary are already getting in one anothers' way, with the former looking favourite to prevail. If that's so then the "what if" premise may be reduced to a mere novelty backdrop; a bit of gimmickry that intrudes on and detracts from an otherwise perfectly fine kitchen sink job about a down-to-Earth yummy mum who starts to fly high accidentally.

And there's another problem. Mrs Pritchard is supposed to represent the triumph of straightforward honesty over smoke, mirrors and verbal chicanery. But, in fact, as she herself is aware, she is a politician with no policies. As such, in real life, she would surely have faced accusations of being the personification of style over substance rather than its rootsy antithesis. She would, in fact, inspire the same sorts of attack as Boy Dave Cameron will continue to contend with following his repositioning speech today (in fact, now it's gone midnight, make that "yesterday".) Not that being all about image and attitude stopped her from winning. Maybe the charge that he is the same won't stop Boy Dave either.

Comments

To be fair on the boy David, in his speech yesterday to the Tory conference, Cameron did stick his neck out when referring to marriage. After the usual platitudes about the value of family life and commitment, Cameron added that this applies also to gay and lesbian relationships, and defended Conservative support for civil partnerships. Many in the hall applauded, and some sat stony-faced.

Cameron's clearly made a start on dragging the Tory party into the 20th century, but he's got a fight on his hands, and in the end he may need to have the dissenters taken out and shot.